Huayu Entertainment 1995 started with hijacking.

Chapter 334 Filming 3
Wu Yuchen invested 4000 million yuan in "The Sun Also Rises," which was just enough to meet Jiang Wen's minimum acceptable standard.

You might say the money is enough, but Jiang Wen actually feels it's a bit lacking. But if you say it's not enough, he figured he could just take his director and actor fees and scrape together the rest, and it should be about right.

Wu Yuchen actually deliberately quoted such a high price. In his previous life, the film's budget of less than 6000 million yuan included Jiang Wen's own 1000 million yuan salary as director and actor, 700 million yuan advanced by his younger brother Jiang Wu, and 400 million yuan paid by Zhou Yun.

So Wu Yuchen has already calculated that 4000 million is enough for Jiang Wen. If he feels it's not enough, he can try to save money during filming. If he can't save money? He'll have to find the rest himself!

To be fair, Jiang Wen is quite the ladies' man. You know, he has a wife and children now, and they're not even divorced yet. But during the filming of "Warriors of Heaven and Earth," he managed to win over Zhou Yun, who became his mistress.

The key point is that while others spend money to support their mistresses, Jiang Wen goes further, making Zhou Yun pay for his movies. Zhou Yun herself doesn't even earn 400 million yuan in film fees, and she had to go back to her parents' home to ask for the money, since her parents are Wenzhou businessmen.

Moreover, Zhou Yun is not the first. Back then, Liu Xiaoqing did the same, personally funding Jiang Wen's filming of "In the Heat of the Sun".

After securing Wu Yuchen's investment, Jiang Wen stopped dawdling, packed his bags, and hurriedly went back to prepare for the film.

That evening, Jiang Qinqin asked Wu Yuchen, "Honey, did Jiang Wen come to you to ask for investment?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and nodded: "Isn't he about to be released from quarantine? He's busy raising money right now."

Jiang Qinqin thought for a moment and then said, "I heard that he has caused a lot of trouble for many people in the past two years, and many people are avoiding him now."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen laughed and said, "A tyrant and a troublemaker, huh?"

Wu Yuchen had also heard about Jiang Wen's affairs over the past few years. It was common knowledge that Lu Chuan was bullied by Jiang Wen, and in the end, "Looking for a Gun" became Jiang Wen's work, leaving Lu Chuan feeling extremely wronged.

But Lu Chuan is not an isolated case, and his result is already quite good; at least "Looking for a Gun" helped him gain fame.

In 2002, Jiang Wen and director Chen Yifei had a serious disagreement that led to the suspension of filming for "The Barber". Jiang Wen and Zhou Yun withdrew from the crew. Ge You, another lead actor at the time, also ran away when he saw that things were not going well, causing the film's initial investment of 1000 million yuan to go down the drain.

The director of the film "The Barber," Chen Yifei, is a renowned painter. Initially, he only intended to make a low-budget art film of four or five million yuan, which he financed himself. Later, thanks to the screenwriter's recommendation, Jiang Wen and Ge You joined the project, and investors came in, raising the budget to 3000 million yuan. However, Jiang Wen and Ge You later left, and the investors, seeing the situation was unfavorable, withdrew their funding, severely damaging the project. It remains stalled to this day, forcing Chen Yifei to tirelessly try to revive it. Next year, the director, critically ill from filming, even came to the set on painkillers, only to pass away halfway through filming. His family will likely be furious with Jiang Wen!
That wasn't the end of it. In 2003, after filming "Warriors of Heaven and Earth," Japanese actor Kiichi Nakai returned to Japan and wrote a book criticizing Jiang Wen's various domineering behaviors on set. Although many people in China didn't know about this, many investors in the industry had heard about Jiang Wen causing trouble on set.

Also in 2003, the filming of "General Chen Geng" was halted due to "script issues." This film was a tribute to the 100th anniversary of General Chen Geng's birth, but it was forced to stop after only four days of filming. The main reason was that Jiang Wen was not satisfied. The script was revised repeatedly, and the project was delayed for more than a year. Filming resumed in September of this year, with Hou Yong replacing Jiang Wen as the lead actor, and filming finally started in peace.

As for "Letter from an Unknown Woman," it's rumored that Jiang Wen also had a quarrel with Xu Cairen, and Wang Shuo personally intervened to mediate and resolve the situation. Jiang Wen and Wang Shuo have a long-standing relationship, and Jiang Wen had even received favors from Wang Shuo. Not only was the script for "In the Heat of the Sun" adapted from Wang Shuo's "Ferocious Animals," but Wang Shuo also secured some investment for him, so he acknowledged Wang Shuo's influence.

In addition, for the film "The Great Qing Dynasty" shot this year, Jiang Wen forced the production company to replace director Zhang Wanting due to "script and screen time issues".

Jiang Wen's reputation for being difficult to work with has spread far and wide; he's always causing trouble "under the guise of art." Many investors are afraid of him because he's so troublesome, and if he really does cause problems, the investors won't come out on top.

Now that Jiang Wen is trying to attract investment, many people are unwilling to invest in him because the risk is too high. Jiang Wen himself is aware of this, which is why he went to Wu Yuchen and pleaded with him relentlessly, since Wu Yuchen had previously invested in many domestic art films.

Wu Yuchen smiled at Jiang Qinqin and said, "Most people can't handle a tough guy like him on set, so don't invite him to be the male lead, otherwise you won't be able to have a peaceful filming experience. But it's different if he's the director; he can manage people and keep them in check."

Jiang Qinqin thought about it and realized that made sense.

Then Wu Yuchen said with a smile, "Actually, no matter how much trouble he causes, as long as he makes money in the end, there will still be people lining up to invest. It's the same all over the world."

He had clashed with Eisner in Hollywood, so he shouldn't have been favored by investors. But as long as he could continue to be successful and make money, these things could be ignored.

Jiang Wen's visit was just a minor incident for Wu Yuchen, and filming of "Departures" continued as usual the next day.

……

"Click! Qinqin, I need to see a change in your expression, specifically in your eyes!"

At this moment, Wu Yuchen was filming an important scene in "Departures," watching the kind-hearted bathhouse owner, who had been the male lead Lin Wu's childhood friend, pass away.

Jiang Qinqin had returned home because of her pregnancy, hoping to persuade her husband to give up his job as a mortician. That's why she came over with Lin Wu, and she witnessed the whole process of her husband preparing the boss's wife for burial.

"Qinqin, the changes shouldn't be too abrupt; you need to show more delicate emotions!"

The first time you witnessed your husband at work, especially as he meticulously and attentively prepared a familiar face for burial, you were captivated by his precise, gentle, and compassionate movements. When you saw the elderly woman restored to her former appearance, and your husband presented her with a handkerchief for her family to wash her face and bid her farewell, the scene moved you deeply and helped you understand the significance of your husband's work.

This is a process from skepticism to understanding, from dislike to attraction to being moved. I want you to show change!

Jiang Qinqin nodded. She actually understood the character's emotional changes in this scene. But understanding was one thing; it was just that when she actually acted it out, she still fell short. These subtle emotional shifts weren't so easy to portray. Wu Yuchen didn't say anything more after he finished speaking, letting Jiang Qinqin adjust on her own. He had high expectations for Jiang Qinqin for this scene because, although Lin Wu was the protagonist, the real focus was on Jiang Qinqin and the old woman's son.

All the previous burial scenes were filmed with complete strangers, which could be categorized as part of the job. However, the landlady in this scene is someone the protagonist already knows, which adds a touch of sadness and allows the audience to have a greater emotional connection with her.

At the same time, the greatest significance of this scene is to dispel the misunderstandings carried by the male protagonist and allow him to gain recognition. This recognition comes, on the one hand, from his family, namely his wife Jiang Qinqin, which is self-evident and requires no further explanation.

On the other hand, it comes from outsiders, and the representative of outsiders is the old aunt's son.

The old lady's son's attitude towards the male protagonist changed twice. When he first saw the male protagonist return to his hometown, he was polite and respectful to him because he was a cellist, a respectable profession in his eyes. At that time, he was also happy to see his daughter approaching the male protagonist.

However, when he later learned by chance that the male protagonist had become an undertaker, his attitude immediately changed. He wouldn't even let his daughter get close to the male protagonist, and he even came over to solemnly advise the male protagonist not to continue doing this improper profession.

Now, the old lady has suddenly passed away, and the person who personally tidied her up is Lin Wu, whom he once looked down upon. His feelings are naturally complicated. As he watched Lin Wu gradually restore the old lady to her most beautiful state, and then, under Lin Wu's guidance, clean her face and send his mother off in the most perfect manner, his gratitude towards Lin Wu welled up with tears.

Coincidentally, the actor playing the old lady's son was none other than Jiang Wen's younger brother, Jiang Wu.

Therefore, the performances of Jiang Qinqin and Jiang Wu in this segment are very important. Through their reactions, the audience can understand that the male protagonist has achieved the recognition and respect he deserves for his hard work over the years.

After a while, Wu Yuchen asked Jiang Wu again, "Jiang Wu, are you done on your end? Want to try again?"

Jiang Wu nodded in agreement. He wasn't much better off than Jiang Qinqin; they were treated the same. He had also been made to NG (no good) by Wu Yuchen many times before.

Jiang Qinqin also took a deep breath and sat down to watch. She hoped that Jiang Wu could perform well this time and bring out her emotions.

"3, 2, 1, action!"

In the footage, Zhao Wenxuan saw a pile of clothes lying to the side, took out a light yellow silk scarf from it, and gently put it on the elderly woman.

Then he took the old lady's hand and trimmed her fingernails. He then held up a string of Buddhist prayer beads in his right hand and slowly slipped it onto the old lady's right hand. He then gently lifted the old lady's left hand and let her hold her hands together.

From camera position 2, a close-up shot was taken of the scene where the old lady was wearing Buddhist prayer beads. Then, the old lady's hands and the prayer beads were quickly blurred, and Jiang Wu's face, which was originally blurred and served as the background, gradually became clear.

At this moment, Jiang Wu looked at his Buddhist mother, her hands clasped together, her fingers holding the string of her favorite Buddhist beads. She seemed to come alive, and as always, she showed a kind smile. Jiang Wu's lips moved slightly, and he slowly raised his head, which had been slightly lowered, and his eyes showed ripples.

Watching this scene from behind the monitor, Wu Yuchen nodded slightly; this repetition had achieved the effect he wanted. However, he didn't call a halt. Although the next scene wouldn't be used, letting Jiang Wu continue the ritual would allow him to better get into the right mindset.

Meanwhile, another camera was also filming Jiang Qinqin separately, so that Wu Yuchen could see if he could find the shots he wanted.

When it came to the face-cleansing step, Wu Yuchen perked up again.

Zhao Wenxuan and Jiang Wu stood on either side of the old woman's body. He placed a clean, white handkerchief into a basin, gently wet it, and then handed it to Jiang Wu with both hands.

Jiang Wu glanced at the handkerchief, then at his mother, slowly extending his hands to take it. He bent down, gazing intently at his mother, and gently wiped her forehead with the handkerchief, bringing it closer to her face. His large, powerful hands seemed even bigger than his mother's face, yet his movements were remarkably slow.

The camera was already focused on Jiang Wu's expression. He looked at his mother's face, his throat began to move, and his lips parted slightly. To calm himself down, he turned his head slightly and took a breath.

But the next moment, Jiang Wu saw his mother's hands holding the prayer beads, her fingers marked with the marks of hard work. Unable to control himself, he reached out with his other hand, trembling, and grasped his mother's hands. Then his whole body trembled, tears welling up in his eyes, and he whispered, "Mom, Mom..."

After a moment, he slowly withdrew his hand, then raised his head and met Zhao Wenxuan's sad gaze, nodding slightly to show his understanding.

A hint of gratitude flickered in Jiang Wu's ruddy eyes. He lowered his head, then offered the handkerchief in both hands, bending his broad back as he expressed his thanks to Zhao Wenxuan in this way.

Upon seeing this, Wu Yuchen inwardly cheered. This take was very natural, and all the emotions were brought out. Jiang Wu's scene was good enough for this take.

However, he still didn't stop them, and Jiang Wu's wife and daughter followed behind, washing their faces and crying. Now Wu Yuchen's attention shifted to Jiang Qinqin, watching her expression.

The scene was nearing its end. Jiang Qinqin looked at Zhao Wenxuan with tears in her eyes. This was not only because she was saddened by the old aunt's death, but also because she was deeply moved. She pursed her lips and smiled faintly at Zhao Wenxuan with tears in her eyes.

After this segment was filmed, Wu Yuchen did not immediately express his opinion. He had been watching Jiang Wu's performance the whole time and there were no problems. Now he was watching Jiang Qinqin's replay.

As Wu Yuchen watched Jiang Qinqin's changing expressions from beginning to end, he couldn't help but smile. Jiang Qinqin's performance in this segment would definitely not be used in its entirety, and most of it might not even be used, but a few key emotional moments were captured, and that was enough!
"Okay, pass!"

Upon hearing Wu Yuchen's "Cut!", both Jiang Qinqin and Jiang Wu breathed a sigh of relief. After all, they had been filming for almost a whole day, and they had finally finished this scene!
(End of this chapter)